Tag Archive Doubt

Jesus didn’t rebuke him for unbelief – He SHOWED him the evidence he asked for! And Thomas replied, “My Lord & my God !” After this, the NT is silent about Thomas. Early church history claims that Thomas went to India as a missionary. He preached, worked miracles, and planted churches. Many of the churches are still active today & trace their founding back to Thomas – the former skeptic & doubter!

A time of doubt doesn’t HAVE to become a life pattern! We can still accomplish great things for Him. Faith grows & doubts leave if we remind ourselves of all He’s done!

He’s done so much for me I cannot tell it all – but the ones He brings to my remembrance, I cannot but tell it all!

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I need to put on God glasses and see things his way. My way isn't working. These things are WAY outdated anyways...

There is something very important to me that I have been praying to happen for a very long time. I know it is something God would love to see happen also, so it’s not as if I’m praying for something out of His will. Why it has not happened, I do not know, but this is just where it’s at for now.

A few weeks ago I was praying about this special subject. “God, I know you can make this happen. I know it’s in your hands. But why not now? Why can’t I just be patient? I need this to be much simpler.” I could sense his reply, “It’s coming, I promise.”

My next thought was so horrible,

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

What in the world was wrong with me? I know I’m human, but c’mon! Talk about lack of respect, I wanted to slap myself in the face! What kind of jerk am I talking to God like that? Doubting His statement! It’s not like He’s even able to lie, so why would I second guess Him? Ugh…

Faith. It’s rather tricky, isn’t it? Since that prayer a few weeks ago, I’ve been telling myself everyday… I WILL see it, so I MUST believe it.There’s no “Well, maybe, if God is up to it, my prayer will come to pass. I know he said he’d do it, but, you know, he might be busy…” It’s simply “He said it. I believe it. That settles it.”

When? I’m not sure. Actually, the element of surprise excites me. But he tells me it’s coming, so I’ll be on my toes. Ready for the prayer of a lifetime to be answered. Until then, will you pray with me for this very special unspoken request? Pretty please and thank you!

How can I have a legacy that carries on when I have such an un-Godly past behind me? Doesn’t that leave me marred somehow?

We’ve all done things. Some of us more so than others. But then we came to know Jesus, and he washed all of those sins away.

Now that you’re on your new found path, you stress. But why?

Um, maybe because my past is troubling me…

I’ve struggled with this myself before. I used to always worried that I was unworthy or incapable of teaching my children the ways of the Lord because I was not always pure. But there are a few things I want to point out to you that helped me…

No, sin, you're dead. I won't be seeing you anywhere. Adios!

Our sins are forgotten. As if they never happened. Sure, people may remember them, but that is not what matters. God does not. They are gone, washed away. Hallelujah! Your past does NOT impact your future walk with God. Isn’t that wonderful?

How much do you know about your Mom, Grandma, and others? I’m willing to bet that even if they are not walking with God there are plenty of details you have no idea about. And whatever you do, don’t go digging! It’s none of your business!

Look at David: He did SO many sinful things. Too many to list in a short blog post. But go read your Bible and you’ll see. Why does that matter? Well, he succeeded at many things in spite of all his sin. He was the Psalmist. He was a king. He was favored…. He was the ancestor of JESUS! If he can carry on THAT kind of legacy, why can’t you or I?

Nothing in your past has anything to do with the legacy you will pass down unless you allow it to. So stand tall, hold your head high, and teach your children the way they need to be taught. Never hold back or feel insecure. Tell them all about our Father and be confident.

After all, if you’re not confident, why would they want what you have? Be the example!

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This is the "clean" part of the room. Seriously. And yes, my couches are out dated and the lamp shade is crooked. Now you see how human I truly am! Oh, and I took this photo while telling my youngest son to stop climbing on the tv stand and feeding my youngest daughter her bottle. Human? DEFINITELY!

My house is a disaster today. I mean seriously. A complete disaster. It looks as though a tornado touched down and only knocked around the toy bins. I considered making the boys pick all of the toys up, but then I decided to let them have a fun day with all their toys. We’ll clean them up, one by one, at bed time and start “clean” tomorrow.

Ever stand in the middle of a room covered in toys? So not fun. Even worse? Walking through it. Add carrying an infant through it and it becomes down right frustrating!

As I sat here looking around my living and conjoined dining room thinking of how each toy will be picked up at the end of the day and all will be okay, it hit me. This is how I should approach life.

What do I mean? Well, have you ever been completely overwhelmed? One thing after another piling up around you. You feel like you’re drowning. You have no idea how to dig out. So you try to manage it all at once, only bringing yourself down deeper.

What if I handle each situation one by one? Instead of worrying about tackling it all at once I’ll pick up one situation, wipe it off and handle it with prayer, and put it away by giving it to God! Then, I can move on to the next, and the one after that… Seems to work for my kids, why can’t it work for me?

Next time I’m standing in the midst of trials all around me, I’m going to try my kids approach. Besides, everything will be less likely to be swept under the rug only to show up again later this way. 😉

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Just think about it for a minute. A friend comes to you who is down in the dumps. Life has dealt them a bad hand or it could be something minor. How do you react to the situation?

Now, let me give you a different scenario:

You are driving by a mountain cliff, and you see someone standing of the very edge, and if they jumped, it would be a certain death. What would you do or say?

There are some out there who would say, “Jump!” They may even give them the extra push. And then there are those who help to reason things out. Who will speak rationally, to try to change the out come.

The power of Life and Death are in the tongue. How you choose to react and the words that you speak to someone, especially when they are going thru something, can mean life or death to that person. Whether it’s spiritually or physically.

So take thought and pray about what God would have you do or say. Encourage someone today, be a blesser, not a murderer.

I simply want to sit down and tell you everything in my life is wonderful, but to do that would be a lie. I feel as tho I am going thru transitions that scare me, ones I can’t control and am not even sure I want to try.

Being the oldest of our four writers you would think I would have a little more insight on how to handle life. But, like everyone else, I stand back fighting depression and decisions that weigh heavy on my heart every day. I know my God won’t put on me more then I can handle, but where exactly is that point, when does one break, or is it even an option?

A couple weeks ago I was talking with an old friend who had a mental break down and had been in the hospital. She seemed a little reluctant to tell me she had a nervous breakdown. I could see the embarrassment in her eyes. Then I started to tell her that a nervous break down is actually just a break thru, and now she could breathe a lot easier because God has lifted the burden and pain from her. I watched as her eyes began to shine, and as she set there for a while I could see her thinking. A few minutes later she began to thank me and said that was a wonderful way to look at it. She seemed to be relieved as I explained to her that she would be able to go on now and leave those burdens completely behind her. When I left her I knew God put me there for a reason. His child was hurting and I left knowing He had used me to help her heal…

So in the mean time I can’t help but wonder just where I will be and who God may use to help me thru what ever it is that holds me from surrendering and breaking thru myself. After all, going thru means I gotta come out on the other end. Your prayers are most welcome..

Love,

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Lets start this by saying this week has been one whirlwind of events. The sickness in our church has taken a toll on me. Saying I have been discouraged is an understatement. So I decided it was time to get specific with my prayer, this was no time for sissy prayers.

I let God in on what my heart has been feeling, stating to him that I need to see the hand of God move. After months of praying up against brick walls and seeing nothing happen , it was time for hitting the knees and telling Him I need more. One can only endure so much, and that was where I was.

I don’t believe I was alone in my feelings. For the last couple years we have seen more sickness, the most some have endured in a lifetime. To say the least we have been attacked by the enemy, and it was time to take back what he has stolen from us. I can definitely say when Dean was, frustration filled me to the core. Standing back with sissy prayers was not going to be acceptable. What we needed was a team of serious prayer warriors standing in the gap for a brother in Christ, and that’s exactly what we got.

I love the living testimony of people walking by seeing where we put our trust. In our Lord and savior, the only true physician who could heal beyond what any man could do. I pray those people know where real healings come from.

I never doubt what my God can do, I may get discouraged but He is still in the healing business, and that is what I stand on. Promises of a God that cannot lie, and will not lie. I know for a fact that Dean is on his way to a full recovery. Tonite I sat in his chair and asked God to restore him back to a wholeness of wellness. In the name of Jesus I prayed for every illness Dean has, from allergies to back pain. Get ready Dean your gonna be better then ever, like I said,

You will arise and go forth, in the name of the Lord of host, for he has conquered every foe by his name, by his name, I will declare he is the Lord I will trust and not be afraid I will arise and go forth by his name…………….

I put my faith in God, he came thru once again. Amen……………..I love you Lord, and again I give you the praise…..

Originally written by Diania on April 14th, 2011… In reference to Angie’s Dad, Dean… You can read more about the situation we were all in here.

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Grrr… Don’t you just hate it? You bring this sweet little baby home. They love you, need you, want you to hold them, beg for your help… Only to suddenly start talking back and being disrespectful. Of all the ways a child can misbehave, my biggest annoyance are children that talk back, and right after that, whining. My biggest pet peeve are parents who let their kids talk back and whine, but as usual, I’m getting off topic here…

Oh, c’mon. You know it irritates you too… You give everything you can for this child. You lose sleep, spend all of your money, put them before yourself, pretend you care about their interests when really, and I mean really, you do NOT want to watch another episode of whatever annoying kids show they’re into at the moment and then talk about it constantly until the next interest comes along in about six months… Only for them to talk back.

You become so angry. Not just that they are showing you disrespect, but that you made them feel comfortable enough to even attempt it. And then the worry, what if it never stops? What if it’s a sign of the future? What kind of adult will they be if they can’t respect their parents? (Don’t worry, all kids do it on occasion. Handle it the right way and they’ll still be stable adults.) But still, you are hurt and usually angry.

Now, let me ask you this?

When was the last time you talked back to God?

You know, when He told you to do something. When He said “No” and you threw a tantrum. When He showed you something and you said “Uh, no, sorry, I don’t think so!”

The love we feel for our children does not even begin to cover the love our Lord feels for us. If His love is that much greater, how much more is His hurt? We are human, yes, but we as Christians need to be more mindful of this! I’ve heard of it happening a LOT lately… and even worse, I’ve been doing it myself. I’m pretty sure if I do it just one more time, I’m going to get my mouth washed out with soap and find myself on a trip to the woodshed.

Here’s the good news. He forgives. Even better? He forgets. Isn’t that amazing?

Dear Lord,

Forgive me for my lapse of judgement. I have been so selfish, forgive me for that also. Cleanse my heart. Wrap me in your arms, teach me your ways, and never let me go.

What does this mean exactly? Basically, to take something sour & bitter and turn it into something sweet. A negative into a positive. As Christians, we deal with this on a different level as we are to spread God’s love to a dying world.

In every day situations, this may be easy to do. But what about when the unthinkable happens? Something so traumatic, that finding the pros is completely impossible when there are so many cons lined up against you? It becomes difficult to find the good with the bad, and to show love and be positive to others when we feel so full of hurt/anger/sadness and negativity.

I’ll be the first to say, this is not my favorite subject to write about. It has taken me a long time to learn this lesson myself. But when God says “write”, by golly, you better write.

So, from here we will begin a Tuesday series. I hope you’ll follow along and read what the Lord has told me to write and be blessed.